The Yakuza
by beltheawesome
Summary: Hijikata and Saito were close since young, but were separated after an unfortunate incident. Now, Hijikata, from the strongest yakuza group in the region, took Saito in after finding him beaten up on the streets. Saito has lost all his memories, and Hijikata doubts if he found the right person. [HijiSai] [YAOI]
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **A/N:** My intention was for their structure to be similar to the Shinsengumi, but to create a more mysterious, secretive relation between Hijikata and Saito.

 **Setting:** Modern AU

* * *

Hijikata strolled through the back alleys of the town. He was tired of listening to his men's rowdy shouting and chattering, and couldn't help but step out for a bit to get some peace.

They were the Wolves of Mibu, the strongest yakuza in the region; no one dared challenge them. But lately there had been one group who thought higher of themselves, and launched a series of offences towards them. With Hijikata's leadership, they managed to completely get rid of those rivals without much losses, and now they were throwing a party to celebrate.

Hijikata was never one who liked to party, but they all insisted that he came along, saying that he was their leader and the key to their success. After much convincing he came along in the end, deciding that as long as his men enjoyed themselves, it would be worth it.

But for now he needed a break. Drinking and rowdy activities just aren't his thing. He trudged through the deserted alleys, watching the pure white moonlight create patterns of light and shadows around him. He unknowingly smiled to himself as he basked in the peaceful moonlight, accompanied by the occasional buzzing of insects. That was when he caught sight of a motionless body on the ground in the shadows.

"Oi! Are you alright?" His eyes widened as he called out to the stranger and ran towards him, wondering if he was still alive. _Could it be one of our men? Did something happen? Or it could be just some drunkard who threw up and fainted..._ his mind was full of hypotheses.

He crouched down to examine the body. It was cold and unmoving, drenched in blood – lots of blood. His eyes flicked to the weapon in his left hand.

 _A katana?_ Hijikata narrowed his eyes. Hardly anyone still used katana in this day and age. _Besides, it's on his left hand._ The unconscious man still had his fingers curled around the handle of his bloody sword.

The wounds on his body were still fresh and the blood has not yet dried. Whatever happened to this unfortunate man was not too long ago, but his injuries were severe. Hijikata placed a finger on the other's neck to check for a pulse, and gave a relieved sigh when he found out the man was still alive.

Hijikata gently shifted the unknown man's head so he could see his face properly. He had long, dark indigo bangs that covered the right side of his face, though the strands were sticky with blood, too. But even through the splatters of blood and dirt, Hijikata could still see his pale complexion and make out his sharp, beautiful features.

"You're not one of our men." He paused for a while. "But I can't possibly leave a half dead body here." He furrowed his brows.

With that, he kept the katana back in its sheath on the man's hip, and heaved him on his back carrying him out of the shadowed alleys and towards the street back to their headquarters. He was thankful that it was already dark with few people out; carrying something that looked like a dead body on your shoulders wasn't going to be well accepted.

"Hijikata-san? Who's that?" A young boy whose face seemed to be red from drinking approached them on the way.

"Ah, Heisuke. Tell them I'm going back first." Was all he said before continuing to walk off.

"O-Okay, but..." He watched as they disappeared into the night, curious about the man that Hijikata didn't seem to be willing to tell him about.

Hijikata laid the man down on a bed in a spare room. The general members of their yakuza didn't live in the headquarters which was disguised as an office for a financing company, since they had their own homes, but the captains, who were surprisingly bonded, stayed together at the headquarters like one family.

But they did make sure to have some spare rooms and beds in case they got into a dispute and their men came back with holes and slashes.

Hijikata went around to the back to look for Sannan, the doctor, who lived with them as well. Sannan wasn't exactly a party person either, so he stayed behind.

"Sannan-san, are you free? Please come with me for a moment." He led Sannan to the spare room where the man was still unconscious.

"Hijikata-kun! This is...?" The doctor was noticeably surprised.

"I couldn't just leave him out there to get eaten up by dogs on the street, right?" He folded his arms and frowned.

Sannan understood the situation immediately, then shook his head and sighed. "I guess that's just like you, eh?"

"What are you talking about?" His voice jumped a little.

"No, this guy might be from one of the other yakuza groups. I don't know what they're up to, but seeing as he ended up in this state...if there are disputes within the smaller groups we don't know about, I suppose there might be a meaning behind this." Sannan just suggested a legit reason not to throw him out.

"Mm." Hijikata grunted, his face turning more serious. What Sannan said was right, they can never be too careful. If the fight this man was involved in was the start to something big, then it would do them good to solve the problem in its early stages.

"Alright then, I'll take care of this, Hijikata-kun." Sannan smiled and shooed him out of the room.

"Wait, Sannan-san."

"Yes?"

"If you could, please keep this a secret for now. I'll tell Kondo-san later. Heisuke saw me on the way back, so I'll talk to him about it as well."

Sannan blinked, then nodded and smiled.

"Very well, I understand."

Sannan would tend to him for now. And once he woke up, they were going to interrogate him, and decide whether to kill him, or let him live.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

His eyes flickered open to the rays of sunlight from the window. How long has it been since he saw the sun? He couldn't remember.

"Ugh..." He winced from the pain that shot through his body as he tried to sit up, and fell back against the soft pillow.

He looked around and observed the surroundings. It was a strange, unfamiliar room, he was in an unfamiliar bed wrapped up in bandages, and his clothes were nowhere to be found. And so were his weapons. His gun, ammunition, and sword which he kept on him at all times were all missing. The last thing he remembered was the fight with _them_ in the back alleys before he passed out. _What happened to them?_ He tried to recall, but his head started hurting.

As if on cue, the door swung open and a young boy with short brown hair stepped in.

"Oh! You're awake!" He held up a box of medical supplies. "I'm here to change your bandages."

He struggled to sit up again, and the boy made a panicked face while waving his hands around.

"H-Hey! Just stay there, you're not in the condition to move around yet!"

"I can...do it myself." He glanced at the medical box that was now placed on the table.

"I'm not as good as Sannan-san, but it's not like I don't know how to do it, alright?" He sighed.

The man on the bed kept quiet and still when the boy moved closer to undo the old bandages on his body. It was painful, but bearable.

"What's your name? I'm Heisuke Toudou. Feel free to call me Heisuke, since we look about the same age anyway." He seemed carefree, but very friendly.

He stared at the boy for a moment, contemplating, before speaking.

"Saito Hajime." He replied.

Judging by how things looked, this boy, or his comrades, must have picked him up from the streets after finding him unconscious. He had yet to find out who they were or what they wanted.

"Hajime-kun, then!" Heisuke grinned and put on the new bandages for him.

"Thank you for taking care of me, I apologize for the inconvenience." He lowered his head in apology. Undoubtedly, he would have died if they hadn't taken him in.

"E-Ehh? Well, it's no big deal." He rubbed the back of his head nervously and laughed. "Oh, right, your clothes were all bloody so we washed them. It's in the drawer over there."

Heisuke walked over and took out a stack of clean clothes from the drawer, placing it on the bed beside the injured man. He said nothing of his weapons, and Saito did not ask. It was not the right time. Besides, if they saw his weapons and took them away without making much of a fuss, they were probably no ordinary citizens.

"How long have I been out?"

"It's been three days since then. I was really surprised when Hijikata-san brought you back! Ah, that's right, now that you're awake I need to go tell him. Wait here; I'll go bring you something to eat too!" He finished with the last of the bandages and ran out of the room.

"...Hijikata?" Saito repeated the name Heisuke had mentioned. It sounded strangely familiar, but he just couldn't figure out why.

* * *

/

* * *

A few minutes later, it wasn't Heisuke who came in, but Hijikata himself. Saito strained himself to get up again, but Hijikata placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to stay on the bed.

"Don't get up." His voice was firm and assertive.

He had brought with him a glass of water and a bowl of porridge, of which Heisuke had forcefully demanded he bring to Saito. Though that was what he intended to do in the first place, whether or not Heisuke had requested so. Being unconscious for three days does make a man hungry.

"Here, drink some first." He held the glass to Saito's lips, tilting it gently as he drank.

"Thank you." Saito's gratitude was stiff and formal. Yet the gaze fixated on Hijikata was curious and questioning, expecting his savior to explain how he ended up here.

"What, forget the formality already, we've finally reunited after all these years, and you show me this face?" He chuckled. "I guess that's just stuck in your personality, huh."

Saito couldn't comprehend what he was talking about. _Reunited?_ He was pretty sure this was the first time they've met. Had Hijikata mistaken him for someone else?

"Pardon me, sir. Have we been associated before?"

"Oi Saito, are you pulling a joke on me? That's new." He had a genuinely amused face, but it soon disappeared when Saito's expression did not change.

"I apologize. I don't believe I've met you before."

That was it. _Did I make a mistake?_ Hijikata's brows were furrowed, deep in thought. Just now, it really seemed like they were on different pages in a story. He thought he knew the man, but by the way things are looking, he probably got the wrong guy.

"Saito...Hajime." He mouthed his name silently. That was one name he'd never forget.

A man with the exact same name and strikingly similar appearance to the person he'd been searching for years had appeared before him. _Is something like that even possible?_ He looked into the distance. But _it's been quite long after all.._. He started doubting the accuracy of his memory of Saito's appearance.

That aside, Kondo and Sannan joined in shortly after their small talk to interrogate him just as planned, when Saito had just been brought in.

The time to decide whether he lives or dies.

* * *

/

* * *

"Yakuza...?" Saito mumbled, after a few questions about the fight he was involved in, and who attacked him or which yakuza group he was from. _So that's what they thought..._

He shook his head. "I'm not from the yakuza." He paused for a moment, thinking of a way to explain his identity. "I'm a freelance mercenary." That was the best thing he could think of at the moment. That was quite accurate, since he didn't belong to any organisation, and sold his services to anyone who would hire him, after all.

"I see...since it's like that, you have no longer have a use for us." Sannan mumbled.

"Don't say such scary things, Sannan-san." Hijikata shook his head and sighed.

"I'm against killing an innocent civilian as well, but it'd be troublesome if he leaks out our secrets." Sannan explained his opinion and folded his arms.

Hijikata felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of his face, and considered the best options to take. Sure, Sannan had a point, but for some reason he just couldn't give the order to kill the man. Perhaps it was because of his resemblance to the Saito he knew, or it might be simply because of his soft-heartedness.

"I'll keep him." Hijikata said, after a moment of awkward silence.

"Toshi?" Kondo was surprised, and so was Sannan.

"He's a mercenary, isn't he? I'll take him under me." He told them.

Hijikata could feel the opposing stances within his mind snarl at each other.

 _That's a stupid thing to do. Taking him in will bring unnecessary trouble._

 _I cannot just allow Saito to be thrown out in this condition._

 _He's not even the guy you're looking for, don't just pity him 'cuz they look alike._

 _I made the decision to bring him back. This is my responsibility._

"Ah! So that's how it is. We can trust him with you then, Toshi!" Kondo gave him a pat on the back, let out a hearty laugh, and walked out of the room.

"I see." Sannan gave a nod, with a smile on his face that looked like he understood everything. "Well then, good luck, Hijikata-kun."


End file.
